Fiction Scribe

Hi everyone! I know it’s Thursday, but I have a bonus interview for you this week.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein, the author of a wonderful diary-style book called The Truth: I’m Ten, I’m Smart and I Know Everything. Please join me in welcoming her to Fiction Scribe, and I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did.

Hello and welcome to Fiction Scribe. Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m a positive psychologist with 25 years on clinical experience. I’m in private practice with my husband in New Jersey. I was a school psychologist for a number of years and also taught first and second grades. I’m passionate about my work and teaching women and girls how to live happier lives. For your readers who have never read much on positive psychology I offer a free e-paper I wrote, THE SEVEN GATEWAYS TO HAPPINESS by going to my site Enchanted Self on the front page.

How did you get into writing? Did you always want to be a writer?

I guess in some ways I did always want to be a writer. I started keeping a diary, pretty faithfully, actually I was three days behind, from the time I was nine.

You’re currently on virtual tour for your book “The Truth: I’m Ten, I’m Smart and I Know Everythingâ€?. What a title. How did you come up with it?

The Girl, who starts out as ten, in the book actually led me to the title. Like the little prince in The Little Prince, she quickly began to show me that she had an acute understanding of right and wrong, having fun, treasuring day to day life and so much more.

Tell us a little about the book.

THE TRUTH, I’m Ten, I’m Smart and I Know Everything, is a delightful, humorous secret diary, written by a girl who is 10-11 years of age. She is wise and yet so innocent. She makes us cry and laugh and remember ourselves. Behind this very easy read is the psychological message to the women reading THE TRUTH that they can and must recapture the fire and passion of their girlhoods not only for themselves to flourish and be happy, but for the next generation to also have the gifts of good emotional and spiritual health.

Where did you draw inspiration from for the book?

I drew inspiration from my research on women and their happiness capacities, my study of child development and particularly developmental issues for girls, tweens and adolescents, and also from my own memories of being a kid and what I knew and recognized.

Did you do a lot of research for the book?

Yes, I did a lot of research. If we look at all I have done in a cumulative way, I started the research for this book actually when I did case study research on women 18 years ago. This research documented that women have a greater capacity for happiness than they realize. I saw that they need encouragement to focus on ways to let happiness happen and even needed a name to name the state of well-being that is a happy state unique to each woman. I call this state THE ENCHANTED SELF(R) and my first book is titled, THE ENCHANTED SELF, A Positive Therapy.

Since my first book (which is available at my website, Enchanted Self and Amazon), I have continued my research on women and girls via documenting ways to improve happiness with my clients, and developing materials and techniques for achieving more happiness. Each book I write tackles a slightly different aspect of Happiness. RECIPES FOR ENCHANTMENT, The Secret Ingredient is YOU! does it through storytelling and journal writing. And DELIGHT does it through coming with me on a spiritual journey..

THE TRUTH is the latest.

The diary style is an interesting choice of set-up for a book. Was it always diary style or did you switch to that style later on?

This started and was meant to be a diary from the first page! The Girl I guess was in charge!

I find all of the authors I interview have a lot in their lives that seems to make writing a near impossibility sometimes. How did you and how do you have time to write?

I write late at night and I keep notes whenever things enter my head. I really believe the rigor or a diary when I was 9 has helped me a lot. Also, always being 3 days behind gave me the courage now to just keep doing and not to be too hard on myself.

Will there be a part two to “The Truth� or other books from you in the future?

Yes, absolutely. I’ve already written more than half of the next book in which the girl grows to be between 12-14. And I think she will just keep going. I may even go backwards and make her younger in a book or two for younger kids.

Are there any authors who inspired/inspire you in your writing?

John Fowles? who wrote The Magus, Galsworthy, Edith Wharton, Dan Brown who wrote The DaVinci Code and of course the author of the Nancy Drew books.

Do you have a muse? If so, who or what is it?

My icon figure is Isadora Duncan the great dancer who knew so well that women need to be free in body and soul and not constricted by ridiculous aspects of our culture that are used to suppress and or dominate women. Even a too tight corset can create a prison for a woman!

Do you have any guilty pleasures when it comes to writing?

Yes, having the television on in the background

What are your dreams for your writing?

A series of books about The Girl, a movie version and a musical on Broadway-of course called THE TRUTH, I’m Ten, I’m Smart and I Know Everything!

Do you have any advice for writers in general?

Keep going. Write a lot. Begin to form your writing into packages that work for you whether it is one page stories or essays or whatever. That way you can get a beginning middle and end going and not just drift.

Thank you for your time.

Thanks. I loved sharing!